Concord Stats -
UNC-Pembroke Stats -
Live Stats -
Live Video -
Complete Game Notes
ATHENS, W.Va. - The Concord University football team plays its only non-conference game of the season when it travels to UNC-Pembroke 4:00 p.m. Saturday to face the Braves at Grace P. Johnson Stadium.
LIVE COVERAGE
Stats: The UNC-Pembroke Sports Information Department will provide live in-game statistics for Saturday's non-conference contest.
Video: A live stream of the game will be available on UNCP's YouTube Channel.
RECORDS
The Mountain Lions are 1-6 in 2018 after a 52-24 loss against West Virginia State in week seven of the season.
UNC-Pembroke sports a record of 1-4 with its only win coming in the second week of the season over Elizabeth City State.
DEEP THREAT
Sophomore wide receiver
Tywan Pearce recorded his first career mutli-touchdown game receiving as he hauled in scoring reception of 40 yards and 50 yards versus West Virginia State.
It was the fourth and fifth touchdown receptions of the season for the North Kissimmee, Florida native.
Pearce tied junior wide receiver
Brandon Plyler for the team lead in receiving touchdowns in 2018.
For the season, Pearce has at least one reception of 40 or more yards in four of seven games.
Additionally, Pearce enters the week sixth in the Mountain East Conference in yards per catch at 13.5.
This year, Pearce has 30 catches for 405 yards.
VETS OF THE GROUP
Over the weekend, senior offensive lineman
Derek Dressler played in his 35th career game at Concord.
Dressler joins senior linebacker
Zach Malone and senior defensive back
Chaudlier Shepherd as the only active CU player with 35 appearances.
Malone played in career game 37 versus West Virginia State while Shepherd appeared in his 43rd career gamesat WVSU.
Dressler's 35th career game is especially important with the combined number of starts among the other four starters on the offensive line is just 49.
GLANCING AT THE RECORD BOOK
At West Virginia State, Malone became the sixth player in program history to amass 300 career tackles after coming up with 14 tackles against the Yellow Jackets.
With nine more stops versus UNC-Pembroke, Malone can pass Mike Spradling for fifth in all-time tackles at Concord. Malone has 308 career stops.
Elsewhere in the CU record book, freshman kicker
Luke Walls needs just two points to enter the top 10 in career points by a kicker.
Walls converted his fourth field goal of the season versus West Virginia State and is 17-for-19 on extra points this season.
Before graduating,
Zack Keaton made a total of four field goals versus UNC-Pembroke including three against the Braves in 2017.
Also on special teams record book watch is Pearce and Shepherd.
The duo has a chance to be the fifth and sixth players in program history with 1,000 kickoff return yards in their career.
Shepherd sits at 935 kickoff yards after 117 versus WVSU--it was the first time a CU return man went over 100 kickoff return yards since Pearce last season versus UNCP.
Meanwhile, Pearce stands at 908 kickoff yards over his 18 career gamesin a Concord uniform. Pearce had 106 return yards on four returns last season versus the Braves.
GROUND DELIVERY
Concord is seeking to put together its fifth game of the season with 100 or more rushing yards as a team, which would be the most since the 2015 CU squad rushed for 100 or more yards in nine of 10 contests.
Additionally, the Mountain Lions are going for their fourth consecutive game with 100 yards on the ground after amassing 110 versus Shepherd, rushing for 194 against Glenville State and piling up 151 at West Virginia State.
If the Maroon and Gray were to go over 100 yards against UNC-Pembroke, it would mark the second straight season Concord had four straight games of 100 rushing yards after accomplishing the feat against Glenville State, West Virginia State, UNCP and West Liberty last season.
What's unique about the 2018 rushing attack for the Mountain Lions is that five different players have led CU in rushing in seven games.
No player has led Concord in rushing in consecutive games.
For the second time this season, freshman running back
Kris Copeland led the Mountain Lions in rushing after going for 86 yards at WVSU to go along with his 141 rushing yards to open the season against West Virginia Wesleyan.
Junior quarterback
Kyle Akin has been the top rusher for CU on two occasions while sophomore wide receiver
Isaiah Bowman, freshman running back
Josh Maxwell and Pearce have each been the lead runner for Concord once in 2018.Â
DOWN TO THE WIRE
Saturday will be the seventh all-time meeting against UNC-Pembroke with each team winning three times.
Half of the previous six games have been decided by 10 more points or less including CU's 31-22 win last season at Callaghan Stadium.
Two seasons ago when the teams met at UNCP, the Braves walked away with a 19-18 win.
Concord won 30-26 in 2010 while UNC-Pembroke grabbed a 10-0 win in 2007. In each of the last two contest with UNCP, the Concord defense has been impressive.
Last season, CU forced three turnovers despite giving up 454 yards of offense.
Sophomore defensive back
Jonathan Roebuck ran back a 62-yard interception for a score while junior defensive back
Ke'Shawn Hall stripped the Braves to cause a fumble.
Two seasons ago, the Mountain Lions were on lockdown at UNCP, holding the Braves to 144 yards of offense--the fewest for a Concord defense since holding Fairmont State to 138 in 2012.
Shepherd also made one of his eight career interceptions and ran it back for a touchdown.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
9- Concord outscored UNCP by nine in the second quarter of last season's game (17-8) while the rest of the game was played evenly, 14-14.
10- Number of combined touchdown catches between Pearce and Plyler--second most for a pair of teammates in the MEC.
21.8- Average starting field position for UNCP in last year's contest. The Braves started just four drives across the 30.
UNC-PEMBROKE AT A GLANCE
Due to Hurricane Florence, UNCP was forced to cancel two games earlier in the season versus Catawba and Tusculum.
Though scoring 38 points against Central State last week, the Braves lost 44-38.
UNC-Pembroke is only averaging 92.6 yards per game on the ground, but running back Josh Sheridan is clipping off 5.1 yards per rush and has scored five times on the ground.
Last season versus Concord, Sheridan gained 65 yards and had a rushing touchdown on just nine carries The Braves have caused just four turnovers through five games.
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